Division of Flooding and Poverty
Climate change and increased flood hazards will drive increased poverty in the 21st Century. Through the study of displaced populations, disrupted economies, water-borne illnesses and the loss of ecosystem services and infrastructure caused by flooding, UC Blum Center Scholars are utilizing big-data to identify solutions to mitigate flood risk, foster peace and stability in flood-affected communities and empower citizens to action through widely-accessible information and leadership.
Projects & Team
Latest News & Research
In the News: Disadvantaged Communities Suffer Flood Impacts Most
In the aftermath of early winter storms here in California, the Blum Center's own flood expert, Dr. Brett Sanders, talks about the disproportionate impact borne by disadvantaged communities in California during flood events. Read the full BBC article here.
In the News: Controlling Floods in a Warming Climate
Early February brought wet weather and flood warnings to California. In part, the deluge is influenced by the El Nino, but there are unique challenges when that influence is compounded by a warming climate. In a recent New York Times article, Blum Center flood and...
In the News: Data Driven Beach Replenishment
Recently, several news outlets picked up Blum Center erosion expert Dr. Brett Sanders' and co-authors' new publication on predicting the movement and flow of sand among southern California beaches. Coverage references the erosion of the southern Californian coastline...
Research Lead
Brett Sanders (B.S., University of California, Berkeley; M.S., University of Michigan; Ph.D., University of Michigan) is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Sanders’ research group specializes in the development of innovative algorithms for flow and transport in river and coastal systems and the integration of information technologies to create more accurate and efficient simulation tools.
Project Information
News
- California’s aging dams face new perils, 50 years after Sylmar quake crisis (LA Times)
- ‘Expect More’: Climate Change Raises Risk of Dam Failures (New York Times)
- Researchers find collaborative flood modeling process effective (National Science Foundation)
- UCI, other researchers find collaborative flood modeling process effective (UCI News)
- Beach dynamics (UCI News)
- Scientists from UC Campuses Study Floods, Flood Socioeconomics (Spectrum News)
- What Is a Nuisance Flood, Exactly? (Eos)
- In a warming climate, ocean- and land-based floods are a disastrous duo, UCI researchers find (UCI News)
- Over time, nuisance flooding can cost more than extreme, infrequent events (UCI News)
Graduate Degrees
Employment Opportunities
No positions are currently available.